The Search For The Reincarnated Queen

"Eli," Trace softly shakes the lady peacefully sleeping, "Wake up, dinner's ready."

Eli opened her eyes, and she again knew that she's not in control. Her body slowly stands up and followed Trace to the dining room.

During this time, they should be closing the library. There was one time where they had to cover for the closing shift in the library when the ones in-charge were absent.

It was one of Eli's favorite moments. The smell of books and the cold wind mixing was relaxing. Ben was irritated at that time since he hates having to stay up late.

But things will never be the same again. Everything's totally different.

If only Eli can go back.

Even just for a quick time.

"Good evening, Your Highness," Jace said as he pulls Eli's chair for her to sit.

Taylan was on the other side of the long dining table, looking at her.

She can't believe that the rooms upstairs were wide enough for a mansion.

She never went upstairs before to look around. They've only been to the office of Rein when they have to pass something.

Her body smiled at Taylan and waited for him to start eating, but Eli's so hungry right now. Why does she have to wait for him to start when all he does is stare at her.

But something's off with his expression, he looks as if he's going to eat her.

And Willow's not around, as well as Ben, and Macky.

"Tell me, My Queen, did Willow do something to you?" Taylan asked.

Eli's body shook her head and smiled.

Is this about Willow's thirst? Is this why Taylan's eyes are glaring at her?

When are they going to eat? The smell of curry's unbearable!

Eli only realized that this is the first time she won't eat with Aunt Sussie, and the first time to eat with Taylan.

The others left the moment Taylan took his spoon and fork and started eating.

Only the sound of their utensils echoes around the room. The silence is destroying the perfect taste of curry.

What's more, is that Eli's body eats too slow and too little!

She's like a chicken eating corn. Eli wanted to cry so bad right now. Her stomach's not even half-full, but her body stopped eating already.

Does E really eat this little?

After Taylan finished, he stood up and went to Eli, "My Queen, why don't we take a walk in the kingdom?"

They just finished eating, for Pete's sake! Eli wanted to groan, she wants to sit down for a while and wait for her body to get hungry again.

Eli's body stood up and held Taylan's arms.

Really? E's really a weird lady... she's just going along with what Taylan asks her. Even though this is her body, it sure does act perfectly like E.

The workers all finished the preparation and fixing of the kingdom, and it looks exactly how it looked like before.

Some of the past townspeople already went back as well.

Some of the houses are lighted up, the street lights also shone.

"My Queen, I don't want to hurry but..." Taylan looked away from Eli, but she can feel that he's not feeling great, "I don't want to lose you."

Oh, this is still about Willow. Eli wondered, what will happen if she let Willow bit her?

Will Taylan kill him or her? Will he let them live?

"My Queen..."

Taylan stopped walking and stood in front of her while holding both of her hands, which is starting to make Eli nervous, but mostly annoyed with him calling her 'My Queen.'

First of all, she's not his.

Second, she's not the Queen.

And he doesn't even understand this.

"Please, let's reign over this Kingdom again."

Taylan's eyes glow like a sun before her. But his frown and broken expression are painful to look at.

Eli would want to see his narcissistic side and annoying face again, just like before. When he'll suddenly appear and he'll tell her weird and dirty things like any normal flirty guy would do.

If she was really E, what would she choose before?

Will she fight for Willow? Will, she let them erase her memory? Will she choose to stay with Taylan when he's clearly not in a great state when they met? Will she blame him on her death and curse them?

Taylan's on the verge of tears as he gazes over Eli's face.

Her silver hair and golden eyes are the only things that keep him alive. If not, he might be dead by now. His strength seems to disappear day by day and he only knows that. He has to look strong and powerful, or else, he's sure that his guards will not let him go with them when they saved her.

He's keeping it all together to be with her.

But Willow comes running thirsty for her blood when he hasn't even taken Eli as his Queen, even though she perfectly looks like a Queen now.

He knows they are all concerned about why Eli came back looking like this, and he knows they'll do anything to know-how.

And all he has to be worried about is having Eli as his now. He knows everyone's capable of protecting her, and knowing what is happening, but he's the only one who can finally bring back the Queen.

He's not as stupid as everyone thinks.

Of course, he knows what's happening, he's the King.

And as a king, his first concern showed to be the Queen.

He won't do the same mistake he did before.

Even if Eli's not yet the Queen, she'll be a priority over his own life.

Eli may not look like it, but he knows she's strong, and she can defend herself, but still... he won't let anyone else take her, or hurt her.

The past will never happen again.

Never.

He can't imagine Eli's smile disappearing before him.

He doesn't know what will happen to him if ever he sees the same cold dead body of hers on the ground.

Eli wanted to hug Taylan. Even if she against becoming the Queen, she knows that Taylan misses E.

And that's why she can't help her jealousy.

Everyone thinks that she's E, that's why they are giving her all this attention.

My Queen this, my Queen that... That's E, not her!

She's nobody's Queen.

Can they all just stop looking at her as if she's E?

All this adoration, protection...this is all for E.

"Why can't you call me by my name? Why?..."

Eli didn't realize that she spoke her mind. Her hands are even shaking from sadness, and her eyes are tearing up.

"I'm Eli, I'm not E. I'm not a Queen."

She whispered as she stares deeply in Taylan's mind.

She thought that she's only doing this in her mind, and not physically acting out her emotion since she was not in control of her body not long ago.

Taylan's eyes grew wide from her words.

He held her hand closely and kissed them.

How can he not think about that?

She's not the person from the past.

She's Eli. She not any sort of Queen, she's just a human caught in destiny's game.

He pressed his lips long and hard on Eli's shaking hands.

How long she must've been feeling trapped in her body and mind that she begins to shake?

Whoever Vanford is, whatever he did to her, he sure will kill him.

"Eli..." Taylan called and put his hand on the back of Eli's head and pressed her into a long warm hug while c.a.r.e.s.sing her back as she wails out her emotions.

She wants to go back home.

She wants to go back to the past and just work in the library while Taylan just pops out to annoy her, and Willow just stares at her like she nothing but a fly.

She wants everything to be normal again.

"Go on, just cry..." Taylan whispers.

He never got to do this sort of comforting before to the past Queen.

Whenever she feels sad, he'll just tell her that everything will be fine and he'll go back to work and leave her.

He was trash as a husband.

But he'll do anything to make everything right.

Unbeknown, to them, E's watching them with a smile on her face and tears on her eyes.

She just wants Taylan to be happy.

He was not even though they were already married before.

He was too tide to the things his father used to tell him.

He was a prisoner of his own mind.

But now that Eli's here to show him that he's not alone and that the people around him do not only need him to govern over them, everything will turn out right surely.

E raffled Tram's hair who's holding her skirt while watching Taylan and Eli.

"Mommy, why is Eli crying? Did Daddy made her cry?" He asked.

"No, he's there to comfort her."

Taylan felt the warmth of Eli's tears on his c.h.e.s.t, but it did not bother him. Instead, it made him feel glad that he's there to help her unload her sadness.

But Eli just realized that she's moving, and crying, and hugging Taylan tightly as if there's no tomorrow.

Her crying stopped but she still sobs hard and pushed Taylan away.

"Wait..." She said and turned around to wipe her tears.

Her face suddenly heats up from the embarrassment. She cried so hard while hugging Taylan! How did she do it? She was not in control not long ago.

"Eli..."

He called her name.

He called her name.

He called her name!

He didn't call her Queen!

The moment she heard it, she felt as if it was all she needed.

Her spirits were lifted and her chains are broken.

She turned around with a wide smile even though her nose is a bit red and her eyes are puffy, "Call me again!" She beamed.

Taylan felt glad to see the usual Eli, the energetic and noisy Eli.

Taylan chuckled, "Eli." He said.

"Again!" Eli ran to him and stared at his face.

"Eli," Taylan repeated as he dives deep into Eli's eyes.

He likes her brown eye color more. It's her real appearance anyway.

"Again!" Eli asked.

Why is it that when Taylan calls her, she feels as if there's nothing wrong with the world? She wants to stay in this moment and not to go back to the past.

When Ben and Willow called her, she did felt good, but not as great from hearing Taylan's sweet voice.

"Eliora Sassa," Taylan said and the next thing that happened shocked him.

Eli hugged him tight and buried her face on his c.h.e.s.t.

She can hear his loud heart beating.

It was like music from the gods.

She wants to stay like this forever.

It's warm.

It's comforting.

It's perfect.

She fits perfectly in his arms.

This may be all just a sudden change of heart because of her breakdown earlier, but... it's as if this is all that she's searching for.

The hunger for love that she never wanted to replenish before is not starting to take a toll on her.

But she'll pay any price just to stay with Taylan.

She'll sort things out later when she's not in control anymore.

But that time never came.

After she gets clingy over Taylan, she awkwardly begged him to take her back home to Aunt Sussie because she can't bear to see his face because of the embarrassment. Taylan did let her spend the whole night with Aunt Sussie where they only talked about what happened to her the whole night.

Morning came and she can still control herself. She was happy about it, but that means that she has to act as herself starting now. She can't just smile and nod and agree to what Taylan says.

She can't act like E anymore.

She's not a soft feminine person, they all know that.

But the question is how?

Eli stood in front of the mirror in her room and noticed that her hair's turning back to black.

And her eyes have brown streaks.

"Aunt Sussie?" Eli called as she goes to the kitchen where she can smell the fried chicken.

"Yes-- oh! What happened to your hair?" Aunt Sussie gasped the moment she saw Eli's weird hair color. "Did you color them?"

Eli shook her head and sat down on the stool.

"I dunno. They just turned brownish-silverish..." Eli g.r.o.a.n.e.d, "I don't know. Is this some sort of spell?"

Aunt Sussie put her hand on her h.i.p.s and stared at Eli while thinking.

"Wait, you said he made you drink something... right?"

Eli nodded.

"I can ask Oberon to do a ritual to see if there's a trace of spell on your body."

Eli raised her brows at her Aunt, "Why didn't you do that when I came back before?"

"Taylan won't let you go!" Aunt Sussie rolls her eyes and went back to frying chicken, "He won't even let me hold you."

Eli chuckled when she remembered that moment.

Taylan was so possessive of her that time.

As if everyone's trying to take her away.

"You know, Randolf--"

"Vanford," Eli corrected, "It's Vanford."

"Okay, that dude is going crazy right now. I'm sure he noticed that the spell's broken."

Eli nodded and closed her eyes. "I'm sure he is."